Bathrooms, they’re what life’s made of How-To-Buy Guide for Toilets By Gray Uhl Brand Education Director American Standard Welcome to the How-to-Buy Guide for Toilets We all know how much usage the toilet receives on a daily basis in our homes, workplace and everywhere else we visit. The toilet is a crucial element for our overall health and the health of our world. Strong flushing performance is key to our overall toilet satisfaction. A "plunger-free" toilet experience is the ultimate goal. American Standard delivers this high performance with toilets that are engineered not to clog, all in a breadth of styles to fit any bathroom decor ranging from traditional to transitional to modern. We can help you select the right toilet for you and your family. Click on the topics below to navigate to a specific subject: How toilets flush: siphonic vs. washdown operation – page 2 Determine the rough-in measurement – page 3 Flush valve size and trapway/outlet diameter – pages 4-5 Champion and Cadet toilet flushing performance – page 4-6 Maximum flushing performance (MaP) grading – page 5 Standard vs. high efficiency toilet flow rates – page 6 How dual flush toilets work – page 6 Water efficient toilets that are WaterSense-certified – page 7 One piece vs. two piece toilets – page 7 Bowl shape: elongated, round front or compact – page 7 Bowl height: standard (15") vs. Right Height (16-1/2") – page 8 EverClean finish for easier cleaning – page 8 Slow close seat: no noise, no pinches – page 9 No Tools installation of Champion MAX toilet – page 9 Basic, better and best toilet models – page 10 Once you've made your selection and installed your brand new toilet, we'd love to see the finished result. Please follow us on Facebook or Pinterest, or share your images on Houzz. Good luck and let's get started! Gray Uhl Brand Education Director American Standard WELCOME TOILETS | 1 Toilets The toilet is a key component to having a great bathroom. Besides appearance, there are many aspects and features that should be considered when selecting the perfect toilet for your bathroom. All toilets are not the same, so it's important to find one that best matches your budget and lifestyle. Read on for an overview of the features you should look at before making your toilet choice. A 3" Diameter Flush Valve B 9" x 8" Water Surface Area C PowerWash Bowl Rinse How Toilets Flush D 2-1/8" Siphon Outlet The majority of residential toilets are gravity-fed operated, meaning that they rely primarily on the force of gravity to remove the waste. A In simple terms, when the toilet handle is pushed, the flush valve C inside the toilet tank opens and releases water into the bowl. This fills the trapway (also called the siphon outlet) with water B D and creates a siphon that pulls the waste out of the bowl, through the trapway. From there, it’s out to your sewer or septic system. American Standard Cadet In a siphonic action toilet like this, the trapway fills with water Siphonic Flushing Action Platform during the flush and initiates a siphon effect that "pulls" material out of the bowl. At the same time, the water entering the bowl A 4" Diameter Flush Valve (largest available) from the tank via the jet and rim "pushes" material out of B 9" x 8" Water Surface Area the bowl. C PowerWash Bowl Rinse D 2-3/8" Siphon Outlet (largest available) This simultaneous pushing and pulling completely evacuates the bowl during every flush. The specially designed bowl shape A enhances the siphonic washing performance, and creates a water spot typically 8-9 inches in diameter. To view a demonstration of C a siphonic flush in action click here. B D American Standard toilets leverage siphonic action with PowerWash Rim bowl cleaning technology for a quiet, yet powerful flush. PowerWash scrubs the bowl with pressurized water from the rim during every flush to remove every last trace American Standard Champion Siphonic Flushing Action Platform of paper and waste. SIPHONIC VS. WASHDOWN FLUSHING TOILETS | 2 Most toilets sold in the U.S. are siphonic action, versus wash down action that is more popular in Europe. In a wash down action toilet, the water from the tank pours into the bowl and washes the material down the outlet. It is a "pushing" action only, and the water does not completely evacuate the bowl. These toilets have small (4" x 5") water surface areas located deep within the bowl. In the U.S., washdown styles are most often used for dual flush toilets. American Standard makes the H2Option siphonic dual flush toilet. More on dual flush toilets on page 18. Vitreous China The vast majority of toilets are made from vitreous china. It is a ceramic material with a glaze applied, which is then fired at a high temperature to create a non-porous, high- Wash Down vs. Siphonic Technology gloss surface. Vitreous china provides a smooth, stain- resistant surface suitable for bathroom sanitary ware. Floor Mount Residential toilets are primarily floor mount models. There are some high-style wall mount toilets available, although they are not as commonly used. Rough-In If you are replacing a toilet, the measurement you need to know is the rough-in. It is the distance from the wall Floor Mount Toilet behind the toilet to the center of the outlet pipe where the waste leaves the toilet. The most common distance is 12 inches, so most toilets have a “12-inch rough.” To determine the rough-in, carefully measure from the wall behind the toilet to the center of the toilet bolts that attach the toilet to the floor. To measure accurately, measure from the wall – not the molding – to the bolt caps. In some cases, the outlet is closer to, or further away, from the wall. This is more common in older homes. For those cases, toilets are available with a 10-inch rough or 14-inch rough. VITREOUS CHINA; ROUGH-IN MEASUREMENTS TOILETS | 3 What Makes Toilets Work? There are two main components that determine how strong a flush your toilet generates: flush valve size and trapway/outlet diameter. The flush valve is located inside the toilet. It is located at the bottom of the toilet tank and is used to discharge the water from the tank into the bowl. The larger the flush valve size, the faster the water can enter the bowl for a stronger, more effective flush. Flush Valve Toilets are designed with a trapway, also called an outlet, through which waste leaves the bowl and heads to your sewer or septic system. Trapway sizes range from the industry-standard 2-inch diameter 2-3/8" up to the industry-leading 2-3/8-inch diameter. The larger the toilet trapway, the better the overall flush performance will be. Flush Valve and Trapway Choices Trapway/Outlet For heavy usage and to replace toilets that tend to clog, you should consider an American Standard high performance toilet like those in the Champion series. The Champion offers the industry’s biggest flush valve of 4-inch diameter, plus the largest siphonic trapway at 2-3/8-inch diameter (also called the siphon outlet). Using this wide open, fully glazed 2-3/8-inch trapway will provide virtually clog-free performance, so you'll never have to plunge again. The Champion toilet line from American Standard uses a 2-3/8" flush The Champion is the perfect choice for active and/or larger valve and largest siphonic 4" trapway for households. Plus, these toilets flush up to 200 feet of toilet clog-free, high performance. The 2-3/8" trapway is the largest on the market. paper in one flush. It can move a mass 70% larger than the industry-standard 2" trapway. Click here for a video outlining the outstanding features of the Champion toilet. To view a video demonstrating the excellent flushability of the Champion toilet, click here. FLUSH VALVE AND TRAPWAY/OUTLET TOILETS | 4 Medium-to-high use bathrooms are best served with the extra wide 3-inch diameter flush valve, with the ample 2-1/8-inch fully-glazed trapway of the Cadet toilet models from American Standard. 2-1/8" With no “choke points” in the trapway design, the Cadet series delivers high performance with fewer clogs while providing high The 2-1/8" trapway of the style for the discerning homeowner. These toilets flush up to 150 American Standard Cadet toilet models feet of toilet paper in one flush. can move a mass 60% larger than the basic 2" toilet trapway. Learn more about the complete range of Cadet toilets, view video here. Click here for a video showing how powerful the Cadet toilet flush really is. 2" The basic, industry-standard toilet is one with a 2-inch diameter outlet, ideal for low to average household Standard toilet models have a 2" diameter trapway. usage. American Standard offers many styles of this all-around toilet, which boasts a fully glazed trapway to reduce choke points and allow smooth waste flow. Maximum Flushing Performance (MaP) Don’t take our word for it. Check out the toilet scores in the free Maximum Performance (MaP) Testing Report, which is an independent assessment of bulk removal performance. The standardized MaP testing criteria ensures that all toilets are Best measured consistently on their ability to flush solid waste. The maximum amount tested is 1,000 grams, which is more than Better 2 pounds of solid waste (don’t worry – for testing purposes, soybean paste is used).